


Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare

by SociallyAwkwardFox (Maze_Runner_Fae)



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Brotp, Friendship, Hurt Tony, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 00:04:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6588736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maze_Runner_Fae/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the other Avengers get sent on a mission, Tony and Bucky end up stuck in the tower with only each other for company. They find out it's easier to deal with their nightmares together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from one of my favorite Matt and Kim songs of the same name. It's basically just more Bucky/Tony friendship because I'm in denial. Hope you all enjoy!

“For the last time, Tony. You are not going.” Steve crossed his arms over his broad chest and continued to give Tony a stern look. “How do you plan on fitting in the suit with that enormous cast on your leg?”

“I already modified one. Having to accommodate for the weight difference during flight was the most difficult thing I had to do.”

“And how did you accommodate the fact your doctor explicitly told you no unnecessary strain on your leg until it’s fully healed? Did you come up with an equation to get around that one too?”

“Since when is saving the world unnecessary?”

“Look, Tony. I know you don’t want to stay behind, but you’re not the only one missing out on this mission. Clint is on leave to spend time with his family, Thor is off world, and Bucky will be staying behind at the tower with you. We’re not even going to use Bruce unless we need his science know-how or things start to look a little dicey. Natasha, Sam, Vision, the twins, and I can take care of this. No need to put you at further risk.”

“Barnes is staying?”

Normally Steve wouldn’t throw Bucky under the bus, but he knew one sure fire way to convince his stubborn boyfriend to stay behind was to dangle something interesting right under his nose. “Yes. It’s been one of his hard weeks and he doesn’t feel up to going out in the field yet. He’s probably watching a movie in his living room. He might not mind some company. You haven’t been out of the workshop in thirty-nine hours. A break couldn’t hurt.”

“What are the odds of him letting me work on his arm?”

“No clue, but it’s already late. Order some food, watch a few movies, and get some sleep. You can ask him tomorrow. The two of you will have the tower to yourselves for five days. Plenty of time to wear him down.”

“People don’t give you enough credit.” Tony wedged his crutches under his armpits with an annoyed look twisting up his face.

“For what?”

“They all think you’re that sweet, little all-American boy they all grew up hearing about, but really you’re devious. Using your best friend as cannon fodder. Shame on you, Rogers.”

“I can always blame you.”

“What would you say? That I’m rubbing off on you?”

“I walked right into that one.”

“Pretty much.”

Steve ushered Tony out of the elevator and used the hand he had on the small of Tony’s back to guide him over to the couch Bucky was glaring up at him from. His blue eyes watched every move Steve made as he got Tony settled on the far end of the couch with his leg propped up on a pillow. The huge grin Steve sent Bucky once he was sure Tony had adequate cushioning between his casted up ankle and the table top had the other man rolling his eyes. The brunette gave another eye roll when his best friend leaned down to press a ridiculously tender kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead.

“Please, tell me the two of you already said your goodbyes. I don’t want to have to witness your disgustingly sappy, lovey-dovey bullshit.”

“Don’t worry, Barnes. We did that last night.”

“That’s disgusting. I didn’t need to know that.”

“Why? You jealous? You could always join us. I certainly wouldn’t complain.”

“In your dreams.”

“Well, I’m glad the two of you are getting along.” Steve dropped a kiss on the top of Tony’s head as he rounded the couch then ruffled Bucky’s hair affectionately on his way to the elevator. “Try not to kill each other before we get back. I also expect the tower to still be here. No burning it down.”

“Always taking the fun out of everything, punk.”

“Got to cover all my bases, jerk. Call if you guys need anything.”

Bucky sent a half-assed wave over his shoulder at Steve as he turned his attention to Tony, who was already looking at him with his eyebrows raised. “Don’t think this means I’m letting you touch my arm.”

“We’ll see. What are you even watching?”

“No clue. Barton told me I had to watch it.”

“Here’s a tip: never listen to Barton.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve already figured that out.”

* * *

 

Bucky rubbed at his blurry eyes as the people on screen continued to worry about some sort of impending doom that he’d already forgotten about. Of course, it was equally likely that he had completely missed it during the zone out he had earlier. When he glanced over at where Tony was settled comfortably into the couch, the other man’s eyes were still focused intently on the screen. How Stark managed to stay up for days on end like he didn’t need sleep was something that still baffled Bucky.

“I’m going to bed. You’re more than welcome to stay if you want.”

“I should be getting back to the workshop.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Weren’t you in there for three days straight?”

“Some of us do more than fight for a living. There are several projects I have going that need to be completed.”

“What about what your body needs? Last time I checked, people in this time period still need sleep.”

“I sleep.”

“Sure you do. When was the last time you actually slept? Not in your lab, but in an actual bed for more than four hours.”

Tony heaved himself off the couch with a small grunt as his still sore muscles ached in protest at the sudden movement. “You sound like Steve.”

“Who do you think he got it from? Steve couldn’t back down from a fight back in the day and it was always up to me to make sure the idiot took care of his injuries afterwards.”

“He still can’t back down from a fight.”

“True, but now the little punk can actually defend himself.”

“Not so little anymore.” The crutches Tony had been trying to awkwardly pick up were thrown carelessly out of his reach by Bucky seconds before the bigger man easily throw Tony over his shoulder. “This is kidnapping.”

“Steve will throw a fit if I don’t make sure you’re still alive and relatively healthy when he gets back. You’re going to sleep then in the morning you’re going to shower and we’re going to have breakfast like normal people.”

“Sounds boring.”

“Good. You could use more boring. When you do things that aren’t boring, you end up getting hurt.”

“Didn’t know you cared, Barnes. It’s so sweet that you worry about me. I’m touched.”

Bucky let out an exasperated sigh as he dropped Tony seemingly carelessly on the bed, but he kept a careful hold on his broken leg to keep it from getting jostled too bad. “I’m the one that has to put up with Steve after you get hurt doing something reckless. He’s not exactly easy to deal with when he knows you’re in pain or possibly dying. I had to physically hold him back while they were setting your leg.”

“Well now I feel bad.”

“Just try not to get hurt so much. One of these days, you’re going to give Steve a heart attack.”

“Fine, fine. Now leave me alone so I can actually sleep.”

“You better still be here in the morning or I’m going to tie you down.”

“Good night to you too, sweetheart!”

* * *

 

If there’s one thing Bucky is used to, it’s waking up to the sound of screaming. Even though they were becoming fewer and further between, he still had nightmares about falling off a train or his time as the Winter Soldier under Hydra’s thumb. He would wake up screaming with his heart practically beating out of his chest and sweat soaking his hair. Going back to sleep afterwards was never an option and he often ended up in the large training room on the communal floor trying to forget whatever memories were haunting him.

What he wasn’t used to was being woken up by the sound of someone else screaming like they were being tortured. For a few seconds, Bucky had to carefully catalogue his surroundings to make sure he was still in the tower and hadn’t been captured again. The sight of familiar walls put his sleep addled mind slightly at ease knowing he wasn’t going to be forced into being someone’s play thing again. The sound of screaming still had him confused and he found himself subconsciously reaching for the small knife he kept under his pillow.

His metal hand had just wrapped over the hilt when his mind cleared up enough to remember he’d left Tony in the room next door. Without a second thought, Bucky vaulted out of bed with his knife in hand and forced his way into the guest room. He expected to find someone taking advantage of Tony’s vulnerability, but all he found was the genius thrashing around in bed. The movements he was making were so violent, Bucky genuinely worried the man would end up hurting his leg all over again.

In a couple of steps, Bucky crossed the room and placed the knife he had clutched in his hand onto the bedside table. His hands hovered uncertainly over Tony’s body knowing that touching the man could cause more harm than good. The need to keep Tony from causing himself further harm eventually won out and Bucky did his best to carefully shake the man awake. A callused hand gripped Bucky’s wrist in a vice-like grip right before a pair of brown eyes shot wide open.

“Tony? Are you awake?”

“Bucky, what are you doing?”

A dry chuckle rippled from Bucky’s throat as he eased himself down next to Tony on top of the rumpled up duvet. “You were having a nightmare. It sounded like someone was murdering you so I came to help and you were busy trying to re-break your own leg.”

“Damn. Sorry about that. You can go back to bed.”

“Do you normally have nightmares?”

“Not so much anymore. Although, I should have known this would happen.”

“Why’s that?”

“As cheesy as it sounds, I haven’t been having nearly as many nightmares since Steve and I started sharing a bed.” Tony pushed himself up with a groan and rubbed absentmindedly at the arc reactor through his thin shirt. “There’s no going back to sleep now. Can you grab my crutches for me?”

“I can’t believe I’m about to ask this, but is it just Steve that helps?”

“Well since you asked, it does work with all the lovers I have on the side.”

“Don’t be an ass.”

“That might be asking too much of me.”

Bucky fought the urge to roll his eyes and pulled Tony down until the other man was tucked securely into his side. “If you ever tell anyone about this, I’m going to find a way to kill you and make it look like an accident.”

“You’d have to deal with Steve’s unhappiness if you do that.”

“Don’t poke holes in my threat, Stark.”

* * *

 

“Time for bed.” Bucky plucked the welder out of Tony’s hands much to the other man’s chagrin and turned it off. “It’s nearly two in the morning.”

“Fantastic, but I’m not tired. Give it back.”

“Nope. Unless you plan on sleeping with it, you don’t need it. Get your crutches or I’m going to carry you again.”

“Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?”

“A few.”

A stream of grumbling spilled from Tony’s mouth as he started heading for the door with Bucky following closely behind him. “You know I have-”

“Important projects that need to be completed. Guess what? I don’t care. You’re going to sleep tonight. Even if it kills you.”

“That seems counterproductive to what you’re trying to accomplish.”

“Don’t make me start counting down.”

“Yes, mother.” Tony swung one of his crutches playfully at Bucky’s legs and wasn’t the least bit surprised when the other man easily hopped over. “Did you get a call from Clint today?”

“Unfortunately. He spent forty-five minutes gushing about the fact his kid’s first word was dada. I think he would have gone longer if the kid didn’t wake up from their nap.”

“Don’t act like Pietro isn’t the cutest kid you’ve ever seen. I mean it’s obvious that he gets that from his mom, but he’s still adorable.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were getting soft. Should I expect to become Uncle Bucky sometime soon?”

“Please, don’t give Steve ideas. It was hard enough convincing him getting a dog would be a bad idea.”

The corners of Bucky’s mouth tipped upwards slightly in amusement at the look of total exasperation on Tony’s face. “Fine, but I think you guys would be great parents. Any kid raised by the two of you would probably grow up to rule the world through a combination of natural charisma and genius intellect.”

“You say the sweetest things to me, Barnes.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

* * *

 

The feeling of something shaking under Tony’s head was an enough to pull him out of the heavy sleep he’d managed to fall into. The arm wrapped around his waist was constricting and relaxing sporadically like the muscles couldn’t decide what to do. Heavy breathing and small whimpers were the only sounds filling the otherwise silent room. It was blatantly obvious to Tony that his bedmate was in the middle of what was probably a particularly gruesome nightmare.

He waited patiently until Bucky finally loosened up the grip he had on his hips then slipped out of his hold. Once he got himself settled back onto the bed, he eased Bucky’s body over his own so the other man’s head was tucked against his neck. His fingers started to run slowly through Bucky’s long hair like Tony did with Steve whenever he had a nightmare. Tony knew it was a terrible idea to try and wake up a trained assassin trapped in his own head.

Slowly Bucky’s breathing started to become more controlled and the hand he had been clinching at Tony’s shirt with relaxed. His head tipped slightly back as his eyes blinked open uncertainly until he was squinting at Tony in confusion. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times while his eyes blinked owlishly in the dark in an attempt to better see Tony.

“Why am I lying on top of you?”

“You had a nightmare.”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“’S fine. Not the first time someone’s woken me up for that reason.”

Bucky gave a grunt of acknowledgement then rolled over and pulled Tony back on top him. “Do you do that with Steve? Would think he’d crush you with his giant Dorito-shaped chest.”

“He’s not that heavy.”

“If you say so. Can we go back to sleep now or what?”

“You’re the one that woke us up. I’m the victim in this.”

“Steve couldn’t get back any sooner.”

“I’m the best bed buddy you’ve ever had.” Tony snuggled further into Bucky’s warmth when the A/C kicked on overhead. “You’re going to miss me when I go back to sleeping with your best friend.”

“My eyes are closed. I can’t hear you.”

“Don’t think that’s how it works.”

“It’s how it should work. Now go the fuck to sleep before I make you.”

“No giving me a concussion. Don’t need another one.”

“Then go to sleep.”

* * *

 

Bucky watched the bright lights flash across the screen with rapport as he took another large bite of the noodle dish Tony had ordered him from some Chinese restaurant. At first he hadn’t been sure about the strange dish, but the explosion of spice on his tongue had immediately pleased him. It was probably the best dish he had since he got pulled out of his mind control, not that he would ever tell Tony that. The last thing he needed was the billionaire’s head getting any bigger than it already was.

“Are we going to watch all six movies tonight?”

“There’s only three movies.”

“Barton told me there’re six.”

Tony let out a heavy sigh like the words that had just come out of Bucky’s mouth personally offended him. “What have I told you about listening to Clint? You can’t trust anything that comes out of his mouth.”

“So there aren’t six movies?”

“Not six movies worth watching. Trust me, you’re better off not watching the prequels. You’ll just be disappointed if you do.”

“I guess I’ll take your word for it.”

“When have I ever steered you wrong?”

“There was that drink at the party last week.” Bucky glanced out of the corner of his eyes to see Tony shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “I’ve also heard plenty of stories concerning your questionable behavior.”

“Can’t believe rumors.”

“Pepper, Steve, and Natasha were the ones that told me.”

“Traitors.”

* * *

 

“Tony. Tony.”

“S’eve?”

“Yeah, it’s me. We finished up sooner than anticipated.” Familiar blue eyes were watching Tony blink sleepily with a spark of amusement. “Didn’t expect to find you sleeping when I got back. How’s your leg feeling?”

“’S fine. Been using my crutches like promised.”

“That’s good. Have you been eating?”

“Bucky made me. He’s more of a mama bear than you. Was annoying.”

“Sure it was. That’s why you’re using him as a personal body pillow.”

“Annoying, but comfy.”

Steve brushed Tony’s hair out of his face and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I’m going to get a shower and something to eat. Go back to sleep.”

“Can’t make me.”

“Of course I can’t. I’ll come get you when I’m done.”

“Okay. Glad you’re back. Missed you.”

“I missed you, too. Can’t forget you, Buck. Missed you.”

“Go away.” Bucky buried his face into Tony’s messy hair with a frustrated groan and flap of his hand towards the door.

“I’ll leave you two to it then. Nice to see my boys getting along.”

“Not your boys.”

“We don’t get along.”

Steve rolled his eyes as he pushed himself back up from where he had been kneeling next to the bed and headed back out the door. He let his eyes linger a moment longer on the sight of his best friend and boyfriend sleeping peacefully together. The dark shadows that had been under Bucky’s eyes when they had first left were barely visible and Tony looked relatively well rested for once. A smile split across Steve’s face as he shut the door quietly behind himself thrilled to know his plan had worked.


End file.
